Anything greater than 20 reps in a set is probably far too many. Performing this many reps in a set will have diminishing returns. If you can easily do more than 20 reps, then the weight you are using is probably too light or too easy to elicit any significant growth.
So, How Many Reps to Build Muscle? Doing around 6–20 reps per set is usually best for building muscle, with some experts going as wide as 5–30 or even 4–40 reps per set. For bigger lifts, 6–10 reps often works best. For smaller lifts, 12–20 reps often works better.
If you've been training properly for less than a year, perform 10-15 sets per muscle group per week. If you've been training properly for one to five years, perform 15-20 sets per week. If you're very advanced and have been training properly for over five years, perform 20-25 sets per week.
Are 25 reps for each exercise too much? If you divide 25 reps between four sets (about 6 reps per set) then 25 reps is not unreasonable. But if you can complete 25 reps per set, you probably need to increase the amount of weight that you are lifting.
Be sure to keep your weekly training volume (the total of your working sets) for chest between 12-16 total reps. If you find out you are performing more than 20 sets per week, there is a very good chance you are doing TOO much and are actually diminishing your bodies ability to build new muscle mass.
Sets of 10-20 Reps
Out of all rep ranges, in general, this is the best for hypertrophy. This is a big range, so you can do sets of 10-12 for muscles that can take heavy weights and sets of 18-20 for muscles that prefer lighter weights.
Anything greater than 20 reps in a set is probably far too many. Performing this many reps in a set will have diminishing returns. If you can easily do more than 20 reps, then the weight you are using is probably too light or too easy to elicit any significant growth.
To clarify, a "high-rep range" typically means 15-20 reps per set; a "low-rep" range is usually anything between 2-6 reps per set; and a "moderate-rep" range is 8-12 reps per set.
Workouts with slower reps cause your muscles to experience more time under tension, much more than with faster reps. The amount of time your muscles stay strained beneath a certain amount of weight will lead to an increase in muscle size.
When using light weights, you'll want to use a high number of repetitions. For muscular endurance, that means 12 or more reps. For building muscle size (hypertrophy), perform 8-10 reps. However, these are just guidelines, and beginners can see excellent results from performing 12 to 15 repetitions on any exercise.
A strict set of 15 to 20 reps should take you between 45 seconds and 1 minute to complete… which works out to a rest period of between 45 seconds and 2 minutes.
Sets of 20-30 reps can 100% build muscle. Even without looking at the studies, just think about how many callisthenics and gymnastics guys get absolutely jacked upper bodies just through doing loads of high rep bodyweight exercises. With that said, sets of 20-30 aren't always appropriate.
Generally, exercises with higher reps are used to improve muscular endurance, while higher weights with fewer reps are used to increase muscle size and strength.
The biceps and triceps should be trained using rep ranges between 5-20 reps to best maximize strength, muscle growth, and overall development of the muscles.
So, in general, low reps with heavy weight tends to increase muscle mass, while high reps with light weight increases muscle endurance. This doesn't mean that you have to rely on one method exclusively. Alternating between the two may be the best approach for long-term success.
Training at a fast rep speed increases the pace at which your muscles can move a given weight. The faster you can move a given weight, the more power you have. Power is important for overall muscle strength because it helps you accelerate a weight, so increasing power will successfully increase your strength.
A loaded barbell isn't the only path to building muscle. According to a new study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, you don't have to lift super heavy in order to boost strength and gain muscle. As long as you go to failure, it doesn't matter how much weight you lift.
“On the other hand, the main benefit of using fast reps is that it enables you to use a heavier load or perform more reps when compared to slow reps. And although time under tension is reduced when fast reps are used, this actually doesn't seem to hinder muscle growth.”
Reps for muscle growth
In order to get bigger and stronger, you must ensure your muscles work harder than they are used to. Generally, between 6-12 reps for 3-6 sets will help to build overall muscle size.
Lifting for pure strength is best partnered with heavy weights. "If you're trying for strength, or your max force output, the heavier the weight, the more strength gains you'll have, along with size gains," Tuminello says. It's also super time efficient.
Heavier people not only have more fat mass but also more fat-free mass, likely making them stronger (in absolute sense) compared to normal-weight people. Heavier people are more positive about strength exercises compared to (1) normal-weight people and (2) aerobic exercises.
Generally speaking, you want to train both low and high reps to get ripped. Not just high reps. Training with low to moderate rep ranges can help you get ripped as low rep training at hard intensities will help you maintain strength to ensure you are able to do more work with lighter weights.
Unfortunately, doing too many reps may actually cause injury and limit your ability to train. To make sure you're maximizing the efficiency of your time in the gym, here are seven things to consider when determining how many repetitions you should do based on your personal fitness goals.
There is no such thing as toning workouts
This is typically suggested to be done by using higher reps. However, the truth is that there are no difference between the various rep ranges in the context of losing body fat or building muscle to get "ripped".